Snickerdoodle cookies are a classic cookie we have made our whole lives. The family is obsessed with them and fortunately you guys are too! With over 3,000 FIVE STAR reviews, this recipe has been made and enjoyed by thousands of you each year and we cannot tell you how happy that makes us.
What are Snickerdoodles? Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. What really sets them apart from regular sugar cookies is cream of tartar, which gives them their signature tangy flavor, soft texture, and crackly tops.
This easy cookie recipe was first made by my mom decades ago and was one of the first recipes we ever shared here on Lil’ Luna. To us, the best snickerdoodles are soft and chewy in the center, lightly crisp around the edges, generously coated in cinnamon sugar, and have that signature tang from cream of tartar, and this recipe is just that. We haven’t changed the recipe over the years, but we have added more tips and tricks to help make sure they turn out just right every time.
These are truly the best for Christmas or changed up just slightly like our Chocolate coated Christmas Snickerdoodles and Brown Butter Snickerdoodles.
Why You’ll Love it + Why it Works:
- Soft + Chewy. Soft centers, lightly crisp edges, and plenty of cinnamon sugar make these a family favorite.
- No Chill Time. The dough goes straight from the bowl to the oven, so they’re quick and easy.
- Simple Ingredients. They’re made with basic pantry staples we usually have on hand.
- Cream of Tartar is Key. It gives snickerdoodles that classic tang and helps create their signature chewy texture.
- Barely Softened Butter. This is our trick for keeping the cookies soft without letting them spread too much.
Snickerdoodle Ingredients
Cookie
- All-purpose flour (2¾ cups): Gives the cookies structure. For the most accurate result, spoon and level the flour rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Cream of tartar (2 teaspoons): Adds that signature tang and chewy texture Snickerdoodles are famous for.
- Baking soda (1 teaspoon): Helps the cookies rise just the right amount.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter (1 cup, just softened): Creates a rich, buttery base.
- JUST SOFTENED >> This is KEY! When you press in finger into the butter, you want it to barely indent. Too hard, and the dough won’t be just right – too soft and your cookies will be flat.
- Sugar (1½ cups): Sweetens and helps create the crackly texture.
- Eggs (2): Add moisture and help the dough bind together. Room temp eggs incorporate best.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Enhances flavor and adds warmth.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- sugar (1/3 cup): The base of the sweet coating.
- cinnamon (2 tablespoons): Adds warmth and that iconic Snickerdoodle spice.
Cream of Tartar
- Why the Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles? Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and works with baking soda to help create their soft, chewy texture and crackly tops. You can make them without it, but the flavor will be closer to a cinnamon sugar cookie.
- No Cream of Tartar?
- For this recipe, replace the 2 teaspoons cream of tartar and 1 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons baking powder. The cookies will still be soft and delicious, but they won’t have quite the same signature tangy Snickerdoodle flavor.
- For a substitution that keeps a little more of that tang, you can replace the cream of tartar with 1½ teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice and keep the baking soda as written. The texture and flavor may be slightly different from the original.
How to Make Snickerdoodles
BATTER. In a medium bowl, stir the 2¾ cup flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) cream together 1 cup butter (barely softened) and 1½ cups sugar until light and fluffy (at least 2 minutes) Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until it is well blended.
SHAPE. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix well, and then shape the dough into 1-inch balls (no need to chill).
COAT. In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Roll the dough balls into the cinnamon and sugar mixture – TWICE.
BAKE. Place on an un-greased pan or baking sheets 2 inches apart (flatten with the bottom of a cup if you like your cookies thinner), and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone.
Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
To Chill or Not to Chill?
This is the main question we get asked about this snickerdoodle recipe so we decided to test it for you to show the differences. The results speak for themselves!
- NOT CHILLED – our preferred method – you can see that the cookie is not too flat, has all the cracks on top and is PERFECT.
- CHILLED – the cookie is more poofy, doesn’t have as many cracks on top and does not expand as much.
- CHILLED + FLATTENED – this cookie expanded the most, but became almost too flat
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- BUTTER IS KEY. Make sure you are using real butter for this recipe (no margarine), and make sure it is JUST SOFTENED. If it’s too soft, your cookies will spread too much.
- DON’T SKIP THE CREAM OF TARTAR. It gives the cookie that famous tangy flavor!
- DOUBLE ROLL. Don’t skip rolling the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture twice – it ensures that sweet goodness is in every bite and gives that beautiful crackly coating we all love.
- DON’T OVER-BAKE. Snickerdoodles might look a little underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but trust me, take them out! They’ll continue cooking on the pan and stay soft and chewy inside.
- CHILL IF NEEDED. If your kitchen is warm or the dough feels sticky, pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Dough
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, just softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter (barely softened) and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
- In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out dough and roll it into a ball. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture TWICE.
- Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
The edges should look set, but the centers may still look slightly soft. Take them out before they look fully baked because they will continue setting on the hot pan.
– Your butter was too soft or melted (it needs to be just softened.)
– Your baking soda or cream of tartar is expired. These two ingredients work together to give snickerdoodles their signature soft, puffy texture. If they’re old, they won’t do their job, and your cookies will spread. Check those expiration dates!
– Over-mixing the dough – Once you add the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Over-mixing can cause thinner cookies.
– Oven temperature is too low – If your oven runs cool, the butter will melt before the cookies have time to set. Use an oven thermometer to make sure it’s at 350 degrees.
Cover and store the dough from this snickerdoodle recipe in the fridge for 1-2 days. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips.
Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Store in a freezer bag, or air-tight container in the freezer for up to 4 months.
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This recipe was first published August 2012.
I’ve been using this as my go-to snickerdoodle recipe for the past two years and it’s always a hit! Whenever I make a batch for families and friends, it’s usually gone within the day. The only issue I’ve come across is when I halve the recipe, my cookies turn out cakier than they should. Any tips to fix this?
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that. As far as halving the recipe, you could experiment with measurements a little if they aren’t turning out the same as the full recipe. Maybe use a little less flour or increase the butter just slightly to avoid a “cakey” texture? These cookies freeze really well too. A lot of times, I will make a full batch and then put the extras in a freezer bag and pop in my freezer. They last for a few months. Then when I want fresh cookies, I pull out the bag, let them come to room temp and they taste as fresh as can be!!
The second batch of cookies is in the oven right now, but i’m not sure what exactly has happened. I put the first batch in for about 30 minutes at 350° and the cookies were barely done! They were still delicious, though, and i’m going to try to put the second batch in for less time to see if maybe i just didn’t catch that it was done or i made the cookies too big.
I hope the cookies still turned out ok for you. The only reasons I can think for needing to bake for 30 minutes would be differences in ovens… every oven cooks a little different. And altitude/humidity/weather can make a difference too. And the other thing that comes to mind is the size of the cookies. If you formed yours large, it would require a longer baking time too. I like soft snickerdoodles too, so they are still a little soft/undercooked when I pull them out and then they set up. But if you like crispier snickerdoodles, a longer cooking time would also be necessary. Thanks for giving the recipe a try! 🙂
Made these for the first time today.. Super easy to make and delicious! Thank you!
Snicker doodles turned out perfect. Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
I Love this recipe I have made these cookies time and time again. My family just loves them!
That makes me so happy to hear! Yay! I’m so glad the cookies are a family favorite!
Are the nutrition facts per cookie or for the whole recipe? If the whole recipe do you have nutrition facts per cookie?
Yes, it’d be per cookie. The facts could be slightly different depending on the size of cookie you make.
i love this recipe, made it without the video, and didnt turn out as usual. what happened to the video?
This recipe turned out really well, even though I had to substitute Earth Balance spread for real butter. Because of the Earth Balance, I refrigerated the dough for a couple of hours and had cookies that spread a bit more when baking, but that was to be expected. These cookies are dynamite, and I can’t wait to make them again for my family with real butter! Now I’m a snickerdoodle fan for life.
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! Snickerdoodles are a favorite over here too. Thanks for sharing!
So….there aren’t enough adjectives to describe these cookies. I lost my recipe when I moved from Germany to the U.S. and have been looking for a good one. THIS IS IT!!!!!! Perfection! My son-in-law can’t get enough of them and my husband who says he doesn’t care for Snickerdoodles….well, I’ve caught him more than once sneaking some!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh that makes me SO happy to hear! I’m glad that these cookies are a hit with your family now. Thanks so much for sharing!
These were so delicious! And I totally recommend this if you want to really wow your friends!
Awe, thanks so much for sharing! I’m so glad you love them as much as I do! 🙂
Oh,,,, oh
I love it 😻
Yay! That’s so good to hear! Thank you!
These cookies turned out so soft, chewy and with a nice rise in them. I think I made a mistake by using salted butter and the added salt called for in the recipe because they turned out a bit salty. I had a feeling I should have used unsalted but it’s okay. They still tasted great. I also made a mistake and put the sugar in with the flour mix. It’s fine because I beat the butter slightly with the egg, then added to the dry, then mixed with the beater again and had to use my hands to form into the dough. Then it was smooth sailing from there. I’ll definitely make these again with unsalted butter and make sure to mix the butter with the sugar haha! Thank you for the recipe! Even with the mistakes I still really enjoyed them!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies. I do typically bake with unsalted butter, so you’ll have to let us know how you like the cookies with that small change. But it sounds like you still turned them into masterpieces! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Made these for my wife, Linda Gayle. They are her favorite kind of cookie. She is recovering from a stroke, and these delicious cookies hit the spot. Soft and chewy. Great recipe.
I am so sorry to hear about your wife’s stroke. I’m glad that these cookies could bring some comfort! Sending lots of prayers and well wishes.